The facility shown below is known as CSEDS, or the Combat System Engineering Development Site. It is used primarily to test the world's most powerful and effective sea based radar known as the Aegis Radar system. The facility below is also the only landlocked commissioned US Naval vessel which is designated as the USS Rancocas and houses an entire crew of naval personnel.

While many of today's passing motorists are amazed by the landlocked ship's bridge, 30 years ago drivers were equally mesmerized by the giant "golf ball" at the same location.

From 1960 to 1975, a 15-story, 140-foot-wide, snow-white radar dome was a landmark. The radar station was built by Radio Corp. of America and operated by the Air Force as a prototype of a ballistic-missile early warning system.

The "golf ball" housed an 84-foot-wide antenna. The housing could protect the antenna from winds up to 180 m.p.h. and temperatures of 65 degrees below zero.

In 1972, some residents in Willingboro claimed the radar station caused buzzing sounds in their televisions, radios and intercoms.

The station was used to track satellites as the Cold War was winding down and was labeled obsolete as more sophisticated radar systems were developed. The "golf ball" was replaced by the ship's bridge in 1976.

]]>
The facility shown below is known as CSEDS, or the Combat System Engineering Development Site. It is used primarily to test the world's most powerful and effective sea based radar known as the Aegis Radar system. The facility below is also the only landlocked commissioned US Naval vessel which is designated as the USS Rancocas and houses an entire crew of naval personnel.

While many of today's passing motorists are amazed by the landlocked ship's bridge, 30 years ago drivers were equally mesmerized by the giant "golf ball" at the same location.

From 1960 to 1975, a 15-story, 140-foot-wide, snow-white radar dome was a landmark. The radar station was built by Radio Corp. of America and operated by the Air Force as a prototype of a ballistic-missile early warning system.

The "golf ball" housed an 84-foot-wide antenna. The housing could protect the antenna from winds up to 180 m.p.h. and temperatures of 65 degrees below zero.

In 1972, some residents in Willingboro claimed the radar station caused buzzing sounds in their televisions, radios and intercoms.

The station was used to track satellites as the Cold War was winding down and was labeled obsolete as more sophisticated radar systems were developed. The "golf ball" was replaced by the ship's bridge in 1976.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-74.90120200,39.98031000kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
A naval nuclear R&D and training site, associated with the Department of Energy's nearby Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory. This site has four land-based prototype reactors, like those used in nuclear powered submarines, which are used for research into developing improved nuclear propulsion systems, and for training military personnel in their use. Operated for the DOE by Lockheed Martin (Westinghouse operated it for many years previously).

]]>]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-73.95363700,43.04022900WacoKidd110 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: WacoKidd110. Read more...
This is the McGregor, TX location of SpaceX. I live near here and have heard several rocket tests.

SpaceX headquarters is located in Hawthorne, California, near Los Angeles International Airport. Our vehicle manufacturing and design integration facilities are housed in Hawthorne’s 550,000 square foot facility, and it is here that we build all our space systems 'from the ground up'. Engine and large-scale structural testing occurs at our 300-acre test site in McGregor, Texas, near Waco. SpaceX operates launch facilities at the Kwajalein Atoll (Reagan Test Site) in the Marshall Islands, at Cape Canaveral, Florida, and at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. SpaceX also maintains offices in Washington, D.C.

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SpaceX headquarters is located in Hawthorne, California, near Los Angeles International Airport. Our vehicle manufacturing and design integration facilities are housed in Hawthorne’s 550,000 square foot facility, and it is here that we build all our space systems 'from the ground up'. Engine and large-scale structural testing occurs at our 300-acre test site in McGregor, Texas, near Waco. SpaceX operates launch facilities at the Kwajalein Atoll (Reagan Test Site) in the Marshall Islands, at Cape Canaveral, Florida, and at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. SpaceX also maintains offices in Washington, D.C.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-97.46266624,31.39911455robsv (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: robsv. Read more...
The Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) was to have been a 54-mile long (oval shaped) underground particle accelerator, capable of producing 20TeV of energy (by way of comparison, the Large Hadron Collider, scheduled to start operations in 2007, will slam protons together at 14TeV). Construction began in 1991. By 1993, after $2 billion spent and 14 miles of tunnels were dug, the project was halted. In the center of the map is the first site of major construction, the N15 (magnet labs) site.

A 200 acre functional model of the entire Mississippi River drainage area, located on a field surrounded by forests, and now abandoned. Constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers to model the flow characteristics of the river, as part of the design process for their numerous flood control structures. Built in the late 1940's, initially using forced labor from a German POW camp established next to the site, and used last in the early 1980's, the model is in a public park, and is still owned by the Army Corps.

]]>
A 200 acre functional model of the entire Mississippi River drainage area, located on a field surrounded by forests, and now abandoned. Constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers to model the flow characteristics of the river, as part of the design process for their numerous flood control structures. Built in the late 1940's, initially using forced labor from a German POW camp established next to the site, and used last in the early 1980's, the model is in a public park, and is still owned by the Army Corps.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-90.31590000,32.30598400boothy443 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: boothy443. Read more...
The NIH-BRC Project is a replacement facility for the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The institutes, which have shared the campus with Johns Hopkins - Bayview Medical Center in various buildings, will relocate their occupants to the new facility.

]]>]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-76.54832500,39.29271900kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
Gray Butte was the first of the three secret radar cross-section test facilities built in the Antelope Valley (Lockheed Martin operates a facility near Helendale, and Northrop Grumman has one at the Tejon Ranch property). It was originally built in the 1970's by McDonnell Douglas, and was taken over by Boeing (which bought McDonnell Douglas), and then closed by 1999, and put up for sale. These RCS ranges are used to test aeroforms (shapes to be incorporated into aerodynamic vehicles) for their radar reflectivity. At one end of the range is an array of radio and radar dishes used to measure the profile of the shape, which is mounted several hundred yards or so down the range on a triangular pedestal. The large box structure, visible from miles away, is a movable gantry, used to install the aeroforms on top of the test pylons, which are visible as white triangular forms on the runway area. In 2000, the property was acquired by the Aeronautical Systems division of San Diego-based General Atomics, which developed the Predator and Gnat UAVs. The company owns the El Mirage airport a few miles north, to test UAVs. Gray Butte now supports UAV R&D

The FGAN Research Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques (FHR) is located on the southern boundary of North Rhine-Westphalia, on the slopes of the Wachtberg near Bonn. Its conspicuous characteristic is the "Kugel" (ball), the world´s largest radome with a diameter of 49 metres, which houses the space observation radar TIRA (tracking and imaging radar).

]]>Picture

The FGAN Research Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques (FHR) is located on the southern boundary of North Rhine-Westphalia, on the slopes of the Wachtberg near Bonn. Its conspicuous characteristic is the "Kugel" (ball), the world´s largest radome with a diameter of 49 metres, which houses the space observation radar TIRA (tracking and imaging radar).]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x3147.13012700,50.61728600Angie (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Angie. Read more...
Russian biggest radio telesccope RATAN600 with a diameter of 570m

]]>]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x31441.58814400,43.82585800nic (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: nic. Read more...
A large experimental complex built in the late 1980's to explore the possibility of living outside of the earth --biosphere 1--should the earth become uninhabitable. It is part research facility, part tourist attraction.
The primary structure consists of a large, mostly glass faced building, enclosing over three acres of land surface. Within this sealed enclosure, five of the earth's biotic zones are represented in condensed form: the rain forest, desert, Savannah, swamp and ocean. In addition there is an intensive agricultural area and a "micro city." Biosphere gained notoriety when, in 1991, eight "biospherians" entered the structure to begin the project's first major experiment: to farm and live in the totally sealed-off, self-contained world for two years. No material was supposed to pass into or out of the facility during that time. During the course of the experiment, however, oxygen levels dropped, and carbon dioxide levels rose to dangerous levels. Some biospherians became sick and spent time outside the structure. Ants from the rainforest invaded the desert, and the one million gallon ocean, complete with a coral reef uprooted from the Yucatan, clouded over into an opaque algael soup. Eventually the owner and original investor, Texas oil billionaire Edward Bass, gained control and entered into an agreement with New York's Columbia University, to restore "real" science to the $200 million plus project. Columbia took over in January of 1996, with a research agenda that mostly explores the effects of a high carbon dioxide atmosphere on plant development.

]]>
The primary structure consists of a large, mostly glass faced building, enclosing over three acres of land surface. Within this sealed enclosure, five of the earth's biotic zones are represented in condensed form: the rain forest, desert, Savannah, swamp and ocean. In addition there is an intensive agricultural area and a "micro city." Biosphere gained notoriety when, in 1991, eight "biospherians" entered the structure to begin the project's first major experiment: to farm and live in the totally sealed-off, self-contained world for two years. No material was supposed to pass into or out of the facility during that time. During the course of the experiment, however, oxygen levels dropped, and carbon dioxide levels rose to dangerous levels. Some biospherians became sick and spent time outside the structure. Ants from the rainforest invaded the desert, and the one million gallon ocean, complete with a coral reef uprooted from the Yucatan, clouded over into an opaque algael soup. Eventually the owner and original investor, Texas oil billionaire Edward Bass, gained control and entered into an agreement with New York's Columbia University, to restore "real" science to the $200 million plus project. Columbia took over in January of 1996, with a research agenda that mostly explores the effects of a high carbon dioxide atmosphere on plant development.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-110.85145033,32.57856366Parabellum (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Parabellum. Read more...
Zoom in to see Lockheed-Martin's facility inside Baer Aggregates quarry. It's nearly impossible to see the dishes from any local road.

]]>]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-75.19107839,40.64429165robsv (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: robsv. Read more...
First run by the Army, then the USDA, and now the Department of Homeland Security, Plum Island is the premiere center for "Agroterrorism Defense". As a BioSafety Level 3 facility, the island researches animal diseases such as swine flu and foot-and-mouth disease.

Its future, however is up in the air. The facilities are aging (50 years and counting), and some research requires facilities the Island doesn't have. BSE (or "Mad Cow Disease") requires a BSL-4 lab. There is money in the defense budget for a "National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility" (which would include a BSL-4), but there's no guarantee that it will be sited at Plum Island. In fact, thet possibility seems remote to many, with the multimillion dollar estates of the Hamptons close by. Some local politicians (Hillary Clinton among them) are fighting for it to remain open, and for a BSL-4 to be built elsewhere.

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Its future, however is up in the air. The facilities are aging (50 years and counting), and some research requires facilities the Island doesn't have. BSE (or "Mad Cow Disease") requires a BSL-4 lab. There is money in the defense budget for a "National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility" (which would include a BSL-4), but there's no guarantee that it will be sited at Plum Island. In fact, thet possibility seems remote to many, with the multimillion dollar estates of the Hamptons close by. Some local politicians (Hillary Clinton among them) are fighting for it to remain open, and for a BSL-4 to be built elsewhere.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-72.19614000,41.17930000doranchak (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: doranchak. Read more...
Array of dishes used for satellite tracking/communications.

Ytterby, a village in Sweden on the island of Resarö, close to Vaxholm (east of Stockholm) is a deposit of many unusual minerals, containing rare earth and other elements. At the Vaxholm Fästnings Museum (in the Vaxholm citadel) there is a minute exhibition about the Ytterby mine, known for Ytterbium, Yttrium, Terbium, Holmium, Scandium, Gadolinium and Lanthanum. In 1989 the mine was voted the "Historical Landmark of the year" by the American Society of Metals, which annually awards a place, building etc. having a historical significance within the metal or metalworking industry. A plaque from the ASM can be found at the entrance to the mine.

Quartz was quarried in this mine in the 1500's for ironworks in north Uppland. The quarrying of feldspar for the porcelain and glass industry started at the end of the 1700's and continued until 1933, when the mine was shut down.

The name Ytterby is composed from ytter = outer, and by = village, and means 'outer village', probably since it is located on the outermost point of the island of Resarö.

]]>jchemed.chem.wisc.edu:

The Ytterby Mine in Sweden, the derivation of the names of four of the rare earth elements (yttrium, ytterbium, terbium,
and erbium), is famous for its mineralogical treasures.

The minerals for which the Ytterby Mine became famous are gadolinite, (Y,RE)2FeBeSi2O10 (RE = rare earth element), and yttrotantalite, YTaO4.

The Ytterby Mine was a source of feldspar and quartz for the porcelain trade in Great Britain and Poland. The mine opened
in the 1750s and was closed in 1933.

Ytterby, a village in Sweden on the island of Resarö, close to Vaxholm (east of Stockholm) is a deposit of many unusual minerals, containing rare earth and other elements. At the Vaxholm Fästnings Museum (in the Vaxholm citadel) there is a minute exhibition about the Ytterby mine, known for Ytterbium, Yttrium, Terbium, Holmium, Scandium, Gadolinium and Lanthanum. In 1989 the mine was voted the "Historical Landmark of the year" by the American Society of Metals, which annually awards a place, building etc. having a historical significance within the metal or metalworking industry. A plaque from the ASM can be found at the entrance to the mine.

Quartz was quarried in this mine in the 1500's for ironworks in north Uppland. The quarrying of feldspar for the porcelain and glass industry started at the end of the 1700's and continued until 1933, when the mine was shut down.

The name Ytterby is composed from ytter = outer, and by = village, and means 'outer village', probably since it is located on the outermost point of the island of Resarö.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x31418.35350000,59.42666667kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
The Table Mountain National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ), located north of Boulder, Colorado is designated as an area where the magnitude of undesirable radio waves is restricted to minimize radio frequency interference on highly sensitive research projects.

Transmissions observed at Table Mountain include radio emissions from satellites, solar noise, and other radio astronomical sources. Work performed at the site provides information on radio propagation factors affecting the use of radio systems. The emphasis of the research work at Table Mountain is on long-range radio transmission problems and wave propagation studies.

The facilities at the site include two 60-foot satellite dishes. These structures are designed to accommodate temporary research projects, including radio astronomy and reception of weak satellite signals.

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Transmissions observed at Table Mountain include radio emissions from satellites, solar noise, and other radio astronomical sources. Work performed at the site provides information on radio propagation factors affecting the use of radio systems. The emphasis of the research work at Table Mountain is on long-range radio transmission problems and wave propagation studies.

The facilities at the site include two 60-foot satellite dishes. These structures are designed to accommodate temporary research projects, including radio astronomy and reception of weak satellite signals.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-105.24323000,40.13430100kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
The USNS WATERS was acquired for multi-purpose surveys, and became operational at the end of FY1996. Built for the Military Sealift Command (MSC) at a cost of $104.4 million, the Waters replaced the USNS Mizar (T-AGOR 11). Mizar was special-mission ocean survey / "ocean engineering" ship which undertook a variety of covert "ocean engineering" missions in support of surveillance operations and the recovery of sunken hardware of interest to the intelligence community. Funding for that Waters's operations was reduced soon after her completion, and the ships was been converted to support additional missile range instrumentation and submarine navigation research support missions.

Survey Ships gather data which provides much of the military's information on the ocean environment. Oceanographic and hydrographic survey ships are used to study the world's oceans. The collected data helps to improve technology in undersea warfare and enemy ship detection. The oceanographic and hydrographic survey ships' multibeam, wide-angle precision sonar systems make it possible to continuously chart a broad strip of ocean floor. Military Sealift Command's Special Missions program supports worldwide oceanographic programs with ships which perform acoustical, biological, physical and geophysical surveys.

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Survey Ships gather data which provides much of the military's information on the ocean environment. Oceanographic and hydrographic survey ships are used to study the world's oceans. The collected data helps to improve technology in undersea warfare and enemy ship detection. The oceanographic and hydrographic survey ships' multibeam, wide-angle precision sonar systems make it possible to continuously chart a broad strip of ocean floor. Military Sealift Command's Special Missions program supports worldwide oceanographic programs with ships which perform acoustical, biological, physical and geophysical surveys.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-80.60483307,28.41109458WOXOF (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: WOXOF. Read more...
Former NASA tracking station at Imerinsiatosika, closed 1975. Main telemetry building is seen here along with the antenna pad for the 40-foot dish immediately to the south.

]]>]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x31447.30059500,-19.01032200Kant (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Kant. Read more...
CERN is the European Organization for Nuclear Research, the world's largest particle physics centre. Here physicists come to explore what matter is made of and what forces hold it together.

CERN exists primarily to provide them with the necessary tools. These are accelerators, which accelerate particles to almost the speed of light and detectors to make the particles visible.

Founded in 1954, the laboratory was one of Europe's first joint ventures and includes now 20 Member States.

Part is in Switzerland, part in France across the border. CERN is not a Swiss institute, but an international organization. We are very close to Geneva's intercontinental airport.

This link provides a detailed view of CERN: http://cern.ch/area-map/AreaMap.html

And yes, this is the same CERN as in Angels and Demons.

]]>
CERN exists primarily to provide them with the necessary tools. These are accelerators, which accelerate particles to almost the speed of light and detectors to make the particles visible.

Founded in 1954, the laboratory was one of Europe's first joint ventures and includes now 20 Member States.

Part is in Switzerland, part in France across the border. CERN is not a Swiss institute, but an international organization. We are very close to Geneva's intercontinental airport.

This link provides a detailed view of CERN: http://cern.ch/area-map/AreaMap.html

And yes, this is the same CERN as in Angels and Demons.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x3146.04620299,46.23374978kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
This is where most R&D on the Aegis weapons system is conducted. Connected to the landlocked cruiser to the northeast.

Also site of the Maritime Domain Awareness Center (MDAC), a 46,000-square-foot facility used to develop, test and improve systems used by the Coast Guard to track and communicate with vessels and aircraft. MDAC contains 16,000 square feet of laboratory space.

]]>
Also site of the Maritime Domain Awareness Center (MDAC), a 46,000-square-foot facility used to develop, test and improve systems used by the Coast Guard to track and communicate with vessels and aircraft. MDAC contains 16,000 square feet of laboratory space.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-74.91321800,39.97685700AlbinoFlea (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: AlbinoFlea. Read more...
From www.nasonline.org:

The National Academy of Sciences was chartered by Congress in 1863 as an honorific society. For the first half century of its history, the Academy conducted its activities in borrowed quarters. During World War I, the federal government markedly increased its reliance on the Academy for advice on scientific and technical matters. In 1916, with the founding of the Academy's operating arm, the National Research Council, the need for a permanent home became urgent.

In 1924, Goodhue's neoclassic building on the mall in Washington, D.C., was dedicated before an assemblage of the leading scientific and political figures of the day. President Calvin Coolidge, delivering the principal address, declared that the "magnificent building now being dedicated to science predicts a new day in scientific research."

]]>www.nasonline.org:

The National Academy of Sciences was chartered by Congress in 1863 as an honorific society. For the first half century of its history, the Academy conducted its activities in borrowed quarters. During World War I, the federal government markedly increased its reliance on the Academy for advice on scientific and technical matters. In 1916, with the founding of the Academy's operating arm, the National Research Council, the need for a permanent home became urgent.

In 1924, Goodhue's neoclassic building on the mall in Washington, D.C., was dedicated before an assemblage of the leading scientific and political figures of the day. President Calvin Coolidge, delivering the principal address, declared that the "magnificent building now being dedicated to science predicts a new day in scientific research."]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-77.04796700,38.89281400AlbinoFlea (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: AlbinoFlea. Read more...
From www.usno.navy.mil:

...by the 1890's, it was clear that the Naval Observatory had to move out of the city. Unhealthy conditions in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood had taken their toll. In 1893, after nearly 50 years at the site on the Potomac River, the U.S. Naval Observatory moved to its present location. At that time, this rural site was well outside the city in the countryside above Georgetown. The move not only provided better astronomical observing conditions, but also provided an opportunity to rethink old scientific programs and propose new ones. Along with the new programs such as daily monitoring of solar activity, the old functions of time keeping and telescopic observations were kept intact when the Observatory moved to the new site. The old Observatory in Foggy Bottom was declared a National Historic landmark in 1966.

]]>www.usno.navy.mil:

...by the 1890's, it was clear that the Naval Observatory had to move out of the city. Unhealthy conditions in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood had taken their toll. In 1893, after nearly 50 years at the site on the Potomac River, the U.S. Naval Observatory moved to its present location. At that time, this rural site was well outside the city in the countryside above Georgetown. The move not only provided better astronomical observing conditions, but also provided an opportunity to rethink old scientific programs and propose new ones. Along with the new programs such as daily monitoring of solar activity, the old functions of time keeping and telescopic observations were kept intact when the Observatory moved to the new site. The old Observatory in Foggy Bottom was declared a National Historic landmark in 1966.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-77.06569200,38.92089900kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
Lots of other smaller dishes to the SE and a long line of MIGs on display. Probably a military air force / space command center.

(Best seen in Google Earth) The full scale mock-up of X-15 #3 was installed September 1995 at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The original X-15 #3, serial number 56-6672, was destroyed on 15 November 1967, in a crash that also fatally injured pilot Maj. Michael J. Adams.

The X-15 was a rocket-powered aircraft 50 ft long with a wingspan of 22 ft. It was a missile-shaped vehicle with an unusual wedge-shaped vertical tail, thin stubby wings, and unique side fairings that extended along the side of the fuselage. The X-15 weighed about 14,000 lb empty and approximately 34,000 lb at launch. The XLR-99 rocket engine, manufactured by Thiokol Chemical Corp., was pilot controlled and was capable of developing 57,000 lb of thrust. North American Aviation built three X-15 aircraft for the program."

Compared to a conventional wing, the supercritical wing (SCW) is flatter on the top and rounder on the bottom with a downward curve at the trailing edge (see illustration). The concept was first studied in the 8-foot transonic pressure tunnel and other wind tunnels at Langley and Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., before actual research with an aircraft began.

A TF-8A Crusader, available from the U.S. Navy, was selected as the SCW testbed. With its easily removable wing, landing gear that retracted into the fuselage, and Mach 1.7 capability, it was a satisfactory choice as a testbed. The announcement that the SCW concept would be flight tested at the Dryden Flight Research Center (then the NASA Flight Research Center), Edwards, Calif., was made in February 1969.

The first test of a DFBW system in an aircraft was in l972 on a modified F-8 Crusader at the Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. (now Dryden Flight Research Center). It was the forerunner of the fly-by-wire flight control systems now used on the space shuttles and on today's military and civil aircraft to make them safer, more maneuverable and more efficient.

Two X-29 aircraft, featuring one of the most unusual designs in aviation history, were flown at the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (now the Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, Calif., as technology demonstrators to investigate advanced concepts and technologies. The multi-phased program was conducted from 1984 to 1992 and provided an engineering data base that is available in the design and development of future aircraft.

The X-29 almost looked like it was flying backward. Its forward swept wings were mounted well back on the fuselage, while its canards — horizontal stabilizers to control pitch — were in front of the wings instead of on the tail. The complex geometries of the wings and canards combined to provide exceptional maneuverability, supersonic performance, and a light structure. Air moving over the forward-swept wings tended to flow inward toward the root of the wing instead of outward toward the wing tip as occurs on an aft swept wing. This reverse air flow did not allow the wing tips and their ailerons to stall (lose lift) at high angles of attack (direction of the fuselage relative to the air flow).

F-104, tail number 826, was flown by NASA at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., as an aeronautical experiments testbed.

The aircraft was distinguished by a pylon called a flight test fixture (FTF) mounted on the fuselage centerline between the main landing gear.

Articles to be tested were attached to or installed in the FTF, which was instrumented to record the research data aboard the aircraft. The instrumentation package also transmitted the same data in "real time" to engineers in Dryden's mission control room as test events took place.

The HL-10 was one of five aircraft built in the Lifting Body Research Program. It was a NASA design and was built to evaluate "inverted airfoil" lifting body and delta planform. It was flown 37 times during the lifting body research program and logged the highest altitude and fastest speed in the Lifting Body program.

The other designs were the M2-F2, M2-F3 (rebuilt M2-F2 following a landing accident), X-24A and X-24B (rebuilt X-24A with a different aerodynamic shape).

Wingless lifting bodies attained aerodynamic stability and lift from the shape of the vehicle. Lift resulted from more air pressure on the bottom of the body than on the top. They used energy and aerodynamic lift for in-flight maneuvering and a powerless, glider-like landing.

]]>X-15 #3

(Best seen in Google Earth) The full scale mock-up of X-15 #3 was installed September 1995 at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The original X-15 #3, serial number 56-6672, was destroyed on 15 November 1967, in a crash that also fatally injured pilot Maj. Michael J. Adams.

The X-15 was a rocket-powered aircraft 50 ft long with a wingspan of 22 ft. It was a missile-shaped vehicle with an unusual wedge-shaped vertical tail, thin stubby wings, and unique side fairings that extended along the side of the fuselage. The X-15 weighed about 14,000 lb empty and approximately 34,000 lb at launch. The XLR-99 rocket engine, manufactured by Thiokol Chemical Corp., was pilot controlled and was capable of developing 57,000 lb of thrust. North American Aviation built three X-15 aircraft for the program."

Compared to a conventional wing, the supercritical wing (SCW) is flatter on the top and rounder on the bottom with a downward curve at the trailing edge (see illustration). The concept was first studied in the 8-foot transonic pressure tunnel and other wind tunnels at Langley and Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., before actual research with an aircraft began.

A TF-8A Crusader, available from the U.S. Navy, was selected as the SCW testbed. With its easily removable wing, landing gear that retracted into the fuselage, and Mach 1.7 capability, it was a satisfactory choice as a testbed. The announcement that the SCW concept would be flight tested at the Dryden Flight Research Center (then the NASA Flight Research Center), Edwards, Calif., was made in February 1969.

The first test of a DFBW system in an aircraft was in l972 on a modified F-8 Crusader at the Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. (now Dryden Flight Research Center). It was the forerunner of the fly-by-wire flight control systems now used on the space shuttles and on today's military and civil aircraft to make them safer, more maneuverable and more efficient.

Two X-29 aircraft, featuring one of the most unusual designs in aviation history, were flown at the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (now the Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, Calif., as technology demonstrators to investigate advanced concepts and technologies. The multi-phased program was conducted from 1984 to 1992 and provided an engineering data base that is available in the design and development of future aircraft.

The X-29 almost looked like it was flying backward. Its forward swept wings were mounted well back on the fuselage, while its canards — horizontal stabilizers to control pitch — were in front of the wings instead of on the tail. The complex geometries of the wings and canards combined to provide exceptional maneuverability, supersonic performance, and a light structure. Air moving over the forward-swept wings tended to flow inward toward the root of the wing instead of outward toward the wing tip as occurs on an aft swept wing. This reverse air flow did not allow the wing tips and their ailerons to stall (lose lift) at high angles of attack (direction of the fuselage relative to the air flow).

F-104, tail number 826, was flown by NASA at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., as an aeronautical experiments testbed.

The aircraft was distinguished by a pylon called a flight test fixture (FTF) mounted on the fuselage centerline between the main landing gear.

Articles to be tested were attached to or installed in the FTF, which was instrumented to record the research data aboard the aircraft. The instrumentation package also transmitted the same data in "real time" to engineers in Dryden's mission control room as test events took place.

The HL-10 was one of five aircraft built in the Lifting Body Research Program. It was a NASA design and was built to evaluate "inverted airfoil" lifting body and delta planform. It was flown 37 times during the lifting body research program and logged the highest altitude and fastest speed in the Lifting Body program.

The other designs were the M2-F2, M2-F3 (rebuilt M2-F2 following a landing accident), X-24A and X-24B (rebuilt X-24A with a different aerodynamic shape).

Wingless lifting bodies attained aerodynamic stability and lift from the shape of the vehicle. Lift resulted from more air pressure on the bottom of the body than on the top. They used energy and aerodynamic lift for in-flight maneuvering and a powerless, glider-like landing.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-117.88857900,34.95219200Bubble (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Bubble. Read more...
The famous scientific research institution where many renowned names in genetics (including at least three Nobel Prize winners) have worked and many groundbreaking scientific discoveries have been made in its old cottage buildings. CSHL hosted such scientists Brenner, Ridley, Mayr, Horvitz, Hopkins, Gosling, Cory, Collins, McClintock, Urey, Sambrook and (of course) James Watson himself (co-discoverer of the structure of DNA).

]]>]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-73.46538300,40.85819400jbottero (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: jbottero. Read more...
Founded by William Shockley in the mid-50s, Shockley Semiconductor Lab is generally credited with starting the Silicon Valley boom. When he was unable to lure his former Bell Labs coworkers to join him, he filled his ranks with the best and brightest engineering school grads, including Gordon Moore and others who later went on to form Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel. The building at 391 San Antonio Road, Mountain View, California, is the original site of the company but, unlike the HP Garage, this building has received little protection or preservation. It recently housed a fruit stand, where visitors could find a small display about Shockley above baskets of fruit. The fruit stand is now closed, leaving the future of the building in the air.

The steam catapults are capable of launching up to 90,000 pounds and producing speeds up to 185 knots under normal conditions and up to 300 knots for special catapult tests. Used primarily to test catapult performance before actual aircraft launching, they offer a unique deadload launch capability for a programmed linear acceleration that allows testing of drop tanks, cargo tie- downs, and pylons.

The steam catapults are capable of launching up to 90,000 pounds and producing speeds up to 185 knots under normal conditions and up to 300 knots for special catapult tests. Used primarily to test catapult performance before actual aircraft launching, they offer a unique deadload launch capability for a programmed linear acceleration that allows testing of drop tanks, cargo tie- downs, and pylons.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-74.37879300,40.01746400AlbinoFlea (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: AlbinoFlea. Read more...
From www.si.edu:

Located at the corner of 35th Street and Volta Place, N.W., Bell House, erected in 1853, was purchased in 1881 by then Smithsonian Regent Alexander Graham Bell for his father. Bell maintained a laboratory in the carriage house behind the main house in which he conducted experiments focussing on gaining advances for the hearing impaired. In 1988 Bell House was acquired by the Denver-based telecommunications company US WEST as a Washington base for corporate Chairman Jack MacAllister.

Across the street at 1527 35th Street (southeast corner of Volta Place and 35th Street) is the former home of Alexander Graham Bell. When Dr. Bell lived in this house, he conducted experiments in the small stucco house at 3444 Volta Place (which is now a separate residence).

]]>www.si.edu:

Located at the corner of 35th Street and Volta Place, N.W., Bell House, erected in 1853, was purchased in 1881 by then Smithsonian Regent Alexander Graham Bell for his father. Bell maintained a laboratory in the carriage house behind the main house in which he conducted experiments focussing on gaining advances for the hearing impaired. In 1988 Bell House was acquired by the Denver-based telecommunications company US WEST as a Washington base for corporate Chairman Jack MacAllister.

Across the street at 1527 35th Street (southeast corner of Volta Place and 35th Street) is the former home of Alexander Graham Bell. When Dr. Bell lived in this house, he conducted experiments in the small stucco house at 3444 Volta Place (which is now a separate residence).]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-77.06856200,38.90960700andrewmorrell (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: andrewmorrell. Read more...
Specializes in research in aeronautics.
Major aviation and aeronautics R&D complex, operated by NASA. 5,000 employees develop propulsion, power, and communications technologies for application to aeronautics and space. Started in 1941, as the Aircraft Engine Research Lab, the Glenn Center (formerly called the Lewis Center) comprises over 150 buildings on a 350-acre main campus, adjacent to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, and the 6400-acre Plum Brook field station near Sandusky, Ohio, 50 miles west of Cleveland.

]]>
Major aviation and aeronautics R&D complex, operated by NASA. 5,000 employees develop propulsion, power, and communications technologies for application to aeronautics and space. Started in 1941, as the Aircraft Engine Research Lab, the Glenn Center (formerly called the Lewis Center) comprises over 150 buildings on a 350-acre main campus, adjacent to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, and the 6400-acre Plum Brook field station near Sandusky, Ohio, 50 miles west of Cleveland.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-81.85944200,41.41469100Mike1989 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Mike1989. Read more...
Scott's Hut is a building located on the north shore of Cape Evans on Ross Island in Antarctica. It was erected in 1911 by the British Antarctic Expedition of 1910–1913 (also known as the Terra Nova Expedition) led by Robert Falcon Scott. In selecting a base of operations for the 1910–1913 Expedition, Scott rejected the notion of re-occupying the hut he had built by McMurdo Sound during the Discovery Expedition of 1901–1904. This first hut was located at Hut Point, 20 km south of Cape Evans. Two factors influenced this decision. One was that the hut was extremely cold for living quarters and the other was that Scott's ship, the Discovery, had been trapped by sea ice at Hut Point, a problem he hoped to avoid by establishing his new base further north.

]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-83.54038200,40.30231500kaiken (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kaiken. Read more...
The Malkerns Research Station is the Agricultural Research Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives in Swaziland.

Base General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, also Base Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, or shortly Bernardo O'Higgins, named after Bernardo O'Higgins is the main Chilean base in Antarctica. It is located at 63°19′16″S 57°54′03″W﻿, 13 m elevation, on the Antarctic Peninsula. It was established on February 18, 1948 and is one of the Antarctic bases with the longest times of continuous operation. The winter population is 16, and the peak population in the Antarctic summer is usually 44, although up to 60 persons can be accommodated. The base is operated by the Chilean Army. The civilian name of the site is Puerto Covadonga, the "capital" of the Chilean sector of Antarctica, which is claimed as a comuna (municipality) of Antártica Chilena Province.

The German Antarctic Receiving Station (GARS) was established at O'Higgins in 1991 by the DLR. It is a satellite ground station sited in Antarctica to enable reception of data from satellite-based sensors within the south polar region that might otherwise be lost. High bandwidth sensors such as SAR generate too much data to be stored onboard the satellite for transmission to ground stations elsewhere. GARS was sited at O'Higgins because of the geology, infrastructure and accessibility of the base.

]]>Wikipedia:

Base General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, also Base Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, or shortly Bernardo O'Higgins, named after Bernardo O'Higgins is the main Chilean base in Antarctica. It is located at 63°19′16″S 57°54′03″W﻿, 13 m elevation, on the Antarctic Peninsula. It was established on February 18, 1948 and is one of the Antarctic bases with the longest times of continuous operation. The winter population is 16, and the peak population in the Antarctic summer is usually 44, although up to 60 persons can be accommodated. The base is operated by the Chilean Army. The civilian name of the site is Puerto Covadonga, the "capital" of the Chilean sector of Antarctica, which is claimed as a comuna (municipality) of Antártica Chilena Province.

The German Antarctic Receiving Station (GARS) was established at O'Higgins in 1991 by the DLR. It is a satellite ground station sited in Antarctica to enable reception of data from satellite-based sensors within the south polar region that might otherwise be lost. High bandwidth sensors such as SAR generate too much data to be stored onboard the satellite for transmission to ground stations elsewhere. GARS was sited at O'Higgins because of the geology, infrastructure and accessibility of the base.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-57.89994500,-63.32105600AlbinoFlea (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: AlbinoFlea. Read more...
From www.cr.nps.gov:

The Volta Laboratory and Bureau building, a National Historic Landmark, was constructed in 1893 under the direction of Alexander Graham Bell to serve as a center of information for deaf and hard of hearing persons. Bell, best known for receiving the first telephone patent in 1876, was also an outstanding figure of his generation in the education of the deaf. Both his grandfather and father were teachers of speech and young Bell worked with them. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Bell moved to Canada with his family in 1870 and a year later moved to Boston to teach at a special day school for deaf children. He became a renowned educator by opening a private normal class to train teachers of speech to the deaf and as a professor of vocal physiology and the mechanics of speech at Boston University. During this time he also invented the phonautograph, the multiple telegraph and the speaking telegraph or telephone

In 1879, Bell and his wife Mabel Hubbard, who had been deaf from early childhood, moved to Washington, DC The following year, the French government awarded Bell the Volta Prize of 50,000 francs for the invention of the telephone. Bell used the money to found Volta Associates, along with his cousin Chichester A. Bell and Sumner Tainter, whose laboratory was focused on the research of recording and transmitting sound. In 1887, the Volta Associates sold the record patents they had developed at the laboratory to the American Gramophone Company, and Bell took part of his share of the profits to found the Volta Bureau as an instrument "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge relating to the Deaf." The Bureau, which was first housed at Bell's father's house at 1527 35th Street, worked in close cooperation with the American Association for the Promotion of the Teaching of Speech to the Deaf (known since 1956 as the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf), organized in 1890, of which Bell was elected President. The Volta Bureau officially merged with this Association in 1908. The work of the Bureau increased to such a volume that in 1893 Bell constructed this neoclassic yellow brick and sandstone building to specifically house the institution. Bell constructed the building across the street from his father's house, the first headquarters of the Bureau.

]]>www.cr.nps.gov:

The Volta Laboratory and Bureau building, a National Historic Landmark, was constructed in 1893 under the direction of Alexander Graham Bell to serve as a center of information for deaf and hard of hearing persons. Bell, best known for receiving the first telephone patent in 1876, was also an outstanding figure of his generation in the education of the deaf. Both his grandfather and father were teachers of speech and young Bell worked with them. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Bell moved to Canada with his family in 1870 and a year later moved to Boston to teach at a special day school for deaf children. He became a renowned educator by opening a private normal class to train teachers of speech to the deaf and as a professor of vocal physiology and the mechanics of speech at Boston University. During this time he also invented the phonautograph, the multiple telegraph and the speaking telegraph or telephone

In 1879, Bell and his wife Mabel Hubbard, who had been deaf from early childhood, moved to Washington, DC The following year, the French government awarded Bell the Volta Prize of 50,000 francs for the invention of the telephone. Bell used the money to found Volta Associates, along with his cousin Chichester A. Bell and Sumner Tainter, whose laboratory was focused on the research of recording and transmitting sound. In 1887, the Volta Associates sold the record patents they had developed at the laboratory to the American Gramophone Company, and Bell took part of his share of the profits to found the Volta Bureau as an instrument "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge relating to the Deaf." The Bureau, which was first housed at Bell's father's house at 1527 35th Street, worked in close cooperation with the American Association for the Promotion of the Teaching of Speech to the Deaf (known since 1956 as the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf), organized in 1890, of which Bell was elected President. The Volta Bureau officially merged with this Association in 1908. The work of the Bureau increased to such a volume that in 1893 Bell constructed this neoclassic yellow brick and sandstone building to specifically house the institution. Bell constructed the building across the street from his father's house, the first headquarters of the Bureau.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-77.06888198,38.90991778nic (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: nic. Read more...

]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-76.55305600,38.88848600romulusnr (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: romulusnr. Read more...
Poker Flat Research Range is the world's only scientific rocket launching facility owned by a university. Poker Flat is located approximately 30 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska and is operated by the University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute under contract to NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, which is part of the Goddard Space Flight Center. In addition to launching sounding rockets, Poker Flat is home to many scientific instruments designed to study the arctic atmosphere and ionosphere.

]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-117.24551300,32.88692300kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
Also known as the Santa Susana Field Test Facility, this is a major rocket and propulsion R&D installation, a rambling 2,700 acre complex of 13 rocket engine test stands, and other field test facilities, in the Simi Hills, northwest of Los Angeles. Rocketdyne, once the rocket engine development subsidiary of Rockwell International, now owned by Boeing, is one of the leading suppliers of rocket technology to NASA and defense organizations. The Apollo rocket engines were tested here, as were the early V-2 rockets of the German rocket pioneer Wernher Von Braun, who occasionally worked at the site. Around 700 people are employed at the site, which also conducts laser research and other defense-related programs. The Department of Energy has facilities here, and has conducted research in nuclear fueled rockets and satellites. Nearby Moorpark claims to be the first community lit by commercial nuclear power, from an early reactor at this facility (Arco Idaho makes a similar claim). Major environmental issues have recently brought more outside attention to the site.

Alos on this site:

A nuclear energy R&D facility owned by the Department of Energy, and operated by Rocketdyne/Boeing, involved in applying nuclear technologies related to space flight, defense programs, and liquid metal reactors, in addition to solar energy and remediation technologies. The DOE facility is located on 90 acres within Rocketdyne's 2,700 acre rocket field test facility in the Simi Hills. Nearby Moorpark claims to be the first community lit by commercial nuclear power, from a plant at this facility (Arco Idaho makes a similar claim).

]]>

Alos on this site:

A nuclear energy R&D facility owned by the Department of Energy, and operated by Rocketdyne/Boeing, involved in applying nuclear technologies related to space flight, defense programs, and liquid metal reactors, in addition to solar energy and remediation technologies. The DOE facility is located on 90 acres within Rocketdyne's 2,700 acre rocket field test facility in the Simi Hills. Nearby Moorpark claims to be the first community lit by commercial nuclear power, from a plant at this facility (Arco Idaho makes a similar claim).]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-118.71173900,34.23197600kaiken (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kaiken. Read more...

The American Pharmacists Association's headquarters building, known as the American Institute of Pharmacy, was dedicated on May 9, 1934, and its annex was added in 1960. Designed by the noted architect John Russell Pope, the structure is one of the few non-governmental buildings on Constitution Avenue. Its nearest neighbors are the U.S. State Department and the National Academy of Sciences, and it overlooks the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Washington's Mall.

Also, from the American Guide Series, Washington D.C.: A Guide to the Nation's Capital, 1968:

The American Institute of Pharmacy, headquarters and research center of the American Pharmaceutical Association...is a relatively small, shrinelike white marble building, designed by John Russell Pope and opened in 1934. Rising from a green slope above the Lincoln Memorial, the distinguished façade, lifting above a balustraded terrace, conveys a spirit of balanced charm and dignity. The central portion, with its high attic parapet, is enclosed on three sides by a series of one-story outer chambers. The paneled bronze entrance portal, with its arched, grilled transom, is flanked by allegorical bas-reliefs, the work of Ulysses Ricci—Pharmakeutike, symbolizing the progress of pharmacy, and Phos Kai Elpis, representative of Light and Hope.

]]>www.aphanet.org:

The American Pharmacists Association's headquarters building, known as the American Institute of Pharmacy, was dedicated on May 9, 1934, and its annex was added in 1960. Designed by the noted architect John Russell Pope, the structure is one of the few non-governmental buildings on Constitution Avenue. Its nearest neighbors are the U.S. State Department and the National Academy of Sciences, and it overlooks the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Washington's Mall.

Also, from the American Guide Series, Washington D.C.: A Guide to the Nation's Capital, 1968:

The American Institute of Pharmacy, headquarters and research center of the American Pharmaceutical Association...is a relatively small, shrinelike white marble building, designed by John Russell Pope and opened in 1934. Rising from a green slope above the Lincoln Memorial, the distinguished façade, lifting above a balustraded terrace, conveys a spirit of balanced charm and dignity. The central portion, with its high attic parapet, is enclosed on three sides by a series of one-story outer chambers. The paneled bronze entrance portal, with its arched, grilled transom, is flanked by allegorical bas-reliefs, the work of Ulysses Ricci—Pharmakeutike, symbolizing the progress of pharmacy, and Phos Kai Elpis, representative of Light and Hope.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-77.04947300,38.89284000kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
A network of approximately 200 targets ranging in diameter from less than 1 meter to nearly 3 meters. Spatial resolution targets at SSC consist of a 150-meter painted concrete radial target to estimate system spatial resolution and two 20x40-meter painted concrete edge targets to characterize edge response and estimate Modulation Transfer Function (MTF). The tour also included a first-hand look at a sample of SSC's 20x20-meter deployable radiometric tarps. The tarps, which are of four different reflectance values, support radiometric characterization as well as edge response characterization.

]]>]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-89.62840000,30.38598100kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
The cylindrical object on the left [of the placemark] houses a multi-million volt (MV) high voltage impulse generator (called a Marx Generator) at the Siberian Power Research Institute (SIBNIIE) high voltage testing facility in Novosibirsk, Siberia. The rate of rise of the voltage pulse from the Marx Generator was adjusted to maximize the "efficiency" of long spark propagation. Although first reports of huge 100+ meter sparks were initially met with skepticism by scientists and high voltage engineers, a number of power engineers and scientists have subsequently witnessed similar events at this facility. Sometimes these bolts hit the top of street lamps in the adjacent parking lot! Ultra long sparks of up to 200 meters long have been created using a (comparatively low) potential of 5.2 MV. In order to gain a feel for scale in the above photo, the cylindrical building is 28 meters (~92 feet) high, and it houses a 28-stage Marx generator that's capable of generating positive or negative output pulses of up to 7 MV.

In late 2005, a member of the Tesla Coil Mailing List (Dmitry, a Tesla Coiling enthusiast who lives near the facility) was able to schedule a visit with members of their staff. Dmitry subsequently shared details about this facility in a series of email messages to the other members on the list, and the excellent pictures he took can be seen on Terry Fritz's site. Through his efforts, we now know that the SIBNIIE generator uses 896 energy storage capacitors, each rated at 175 nF @ 125 kV. Each Marx stage uses thirty two capacitors connected in series-parallel and rated at 1400 nF at 250 kV. The fully charged "erected capacitance" is 50 nF and, at peak power, the generator can develop 1.225 Million joules per shot. In the above discharge, the maximum voltage was approximately five million volts, resulting in a point to point discharge of ~70 meters (230 feet). The estimated actual spark channel distance was ~150 meters (~492 feet). The pulse rise time was ~150 usec, duration was ~10 msec, and the overall Marx bank energy was ~678 kiloJoules.

Through research at facilities such as these, it has been determined that switching surges on Extra High Voltage (EHV) transmission systems can initiate streamers (conductive plasma channels) which can then lead to flashovers to another phase or to ground, causing circuit breaker trips and unplanned outages. Streamer formation and growth is presently the major limiting factor in practical EHV power transmission system design. This phenomenon constrains maximum transmission voltages to about 1.2 million volts. The highest operating AC transmission voltage is 1.15 million volts (a 696 kilometer transmission line that connects hydropower generating plants in Western Siberia, through Kazakhstan, to Russia).

]]>
In late 2005, a member of the Tesla Coil Mailing List (Dmitry, a Tesla Coiling enthusiast who lives near the facility) was able to schedule a visit with members of their staff. Dmitry subsequently shared details about this facility in a series of email messages to the other members on the list, and the excellent pictures he took can be seen on Terry Fritz's site. Through his efforts, we now know that the SIBNIIE generator uses 896 energy storage capacitors, each rated at 175 nF @ 125 kV. Each Marx stage uses thirty two capacitors connected in series-parallel and rated at 1400 nF at 250 kV. The fully charged "erected capacitance" is 50 nF and, at peak power, the generator can develop 1.225 Million joules per shot. In the above discharge, the maximum voltage was approximately five million volts, resulting in a point to point discharge of ~70 meters (230 feet). The estimated actual spark channel distance was ~150 meters (~492 feet). The pulse rise time was ~150 usec, duration was ~10 msec, and the overall Marx bank energy was ~678 kiloJoules.

Through research at facilities such as these, it has been determined that switching surges on Extra High Voltage (EHV) transmission systems can initiate streamers (conductive plasma channels) which can then lead to flashovers to another phase or to ground, causing circuit breaker trips and unplanned outages. Streamer formation and growth is presently the major limiting factor in practical EHV power transmission system design. This phenomenon constrains maximum transmission voltages to about 1.2 million volts. The highest operating AC transmission voltage is 1.15 million volts (a 696 kilometer transmission line that connects hydropower generating plants in Western Siberia, through Kazakhstan, to Russia).]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x31483.03032800,55.00716100mq31 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: mq31. Read more...
National weather institute based in Toulouse in France.

]]>]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-106.54405800,34.98975800Hinkkanen (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Hinkkanen. Read more...
Transport Research Laboratory is one of the world’s leading transportation consultancies. Originally established in 1933 by the UK Government, it quickly developed considerable expertise across a wide range of vehicle and infrastructure issues. Over more than seventy years, it has had a considerable influence on the roads and vehicles around us in the UK and, increasingly, throughout Europe and the world.

The Sideling Hill road cut is a 340-foot deep road cut where Interstate 68 cuts through Sideling Hill, about 6 miles west of Hancock in Washington County, Maryland. It is notable as an impressive man-made mountain pass, visible from miles away and one of the best rock exposures in Maryland and indeed in the entire northeastern United States. Almost 810 feet of strata in a tightly folded syncline are exposed in this road cut. Although other exposures may surpass Sideling Hill in either thickness of exposed strata or in quality of geologic structure, few can equal its combination of both. There is an Exhibit Center to help provide the public with a better understanding of the geology of the cut. A pedestrian walkway bridge crosses I-68 for better access to the cut, along with a picnic area and rest area facilities.

]]>Wikipedia:

The Sideling Hill road cut is a 340-foot deep road cut where Interstate 68 cuts through Sideling Hill, about 6 miles west of Hancock in Washington County, Maryland. It is notable as an impressive man-made mountain pass, visible from miles away and one of the best rock exposures in Maryland and indeed in the entire northeastern United States. Almost 810 feet of strata in a tightly folded syncline are exposed in this road cut. Although other exposures may surpass Sideling Hill in either thickness of exposed strata or in quality of geologic structure, few can equal its combination of both. There is an Exhibit Center to help provide the public with a better understanding of the geology of the cut. A pedestrian walkway bridge crosses I-68 for better access to the cut, along with a picnic area and rest area facilities.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-78.25224600,39.69984000kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
NASA's Langley Research Center. The Langley 16-Foot Transonic Tunnel (16-Ft TT) is an atmospheric, closed circuit tunnel with a Mach number range of 0.2 to 1.25. The test section of the tunnel is octagonal with a distance of 15.5 ft across the flats. The twin 34-ft diameter drive fans form a two-stage axial flow compressor with counterrotating blades and no stator. Boundary layer control during transonic operation is achieved with a 35,000-hp axial flow compressor that is able to remove up to 4.5 percent of the tunnel flow from the plenum that surrounds the test section.

The runway arrested landing site allows engineers to test changes to arresting equipment and aircraft under safe, controlled conditions. The site has an 11,000+ feet runway that will accommodate high speed ground roll-in or fly-in into the installed shipboard type arresting gear.

The runway arrested landing site allows engineers to test changes to arresting equipment and aircraft under safe, controlled conditions. The site has an 11,000+ feet runway that will accommodate high speed ground roll-in or fly-in into the installed shipboard type arresting gear.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-74.39405000,40.02190600AlbinoFlea (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: AlbinoFlea. Read more...
The University of Oslo Biology Department's Marine Fieldstation at Drøbak.

]]>]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x31410.62552800,59.66302500charlene (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: charlene. Read more...
The Argonne National Laboratory operated by the University of Chicago is a pioneer in basic nanoscale research.

]]>]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-87.97823000,41.70880100dblerner (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: dblerner. Read more...
Managed by NASA and the California Institute of Technology, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) builds the unmanned spacecraft that explore the solar system. Most currently, JPL built the two Mars rover vehicles and the Cassini spacecraft now orbiting Saturn.

The Law-Racoviţă Station (Romanian: Staţia Law-Racoviţă) is the first Antarctic exploration station of Romania, named after the Romanian explorer Emil Racoviţă.

The station is situated in Princess Elizabeth Land, more specifically in the Larsemann Hills. It was inaugurated on January 13, 2006, on the site of an exporation station built in 1989 by Australia and donated to Romania.

Law-Racoviţă Station is operated by the Romanian Polar Research Institute, and is led by polar explorer Teodor Negoiţă.

]]>Wikipedia:

The Law-Racoviţă Station (Romanian: Staţia Law-Racoviţă) is the first Antarctic exploration station of Romania, named after the Romanian explorer Emil Racoviţă.

The station is situated in Princess Elizabeth Land, more specifically in the Larsemann Hills. It was inaugurated on January 13, 2006, on the site of an exporation station built in 1989 by Australia and donated to Romania.

Law-Racoviţă Station is operated by the Romanian Polar Research Institute, and is led by polar explorer Teodor Negoiţă.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x31476.39712300,-69.39946800Mike1989 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Mike1989. Read more...
Scott's Hut is a building located on the north shore of Cape Evans on Ross Island in Antarctica.

]]>]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314166.41728200,-77.63624800gamma (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: gamma. Read more...
This one of several laboratories run by the United States Department of Energy. The large, circle shaped structure is a 3 mile long Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider.

Already submitted by NIC but not mentioned that it is censored (Now)

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Already submitted by NIC but not mentioned that it is censored (Now)]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-72.87579100,40.86832500damein234 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: damein234. Read more...

The Jet Blast Deflector Site is the only shorebased installed Mk 7 Jet Blast Deflector. The site provides a 30,000 gallon in-ground tank for sea water or fresh water panel cooling. Data acquisition capability includes exhaust temperature, velocity, and acoustic levels. It is used for aircraft compatibility studies and various engineering support.

The Jet Blast Deflector Site is the only shorebased installed Mk 7 Jet Blast Deflector. The site provides a 30,000 gallon in-ground tank for sea water or fresh water panel cooling. Data acquisition capability includes exhaust temperature, velocity, and acoustic levels. It is used for aircraft compatibility studies and various engineering support.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-74.39181800,40.02353700kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
At Lakehurst Naval Engineering Center.

The Elevated Fixed Platform is a 60 feet by 80 feet steel and concrete deck built on top of a 25 feet high building. A Recovery Assist, Securing, and Traversing System is installed to simulate air capable ship landing operations. A hanger face with visual landing aid lighting and deck markings present a pilot with a realistic shipboard landing environment. Aircraft with gross weight up to 90,000 pounds can be landed.

The Elevated Fixed Platform is a 60 feet by 80 feet steel and concrete deck built on top of a 25 feet high building. A Recovery Assist, Securing, and Traversing System is installed to simulate air capable ship landing operations. A hanger face with visual landing aid lighting and deck markings present a pilot with a realistic shipboard landing environment. Aircraft with gross weight up to 90,000 pounds can be landed.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-74.39956400,40.01705600kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
CIRA is located on an area of 1,600,00 square meters.
A small artificial hill divides the entire area into two parts: the computer laboratories, administrative offices and the cafeteria are in the first area, while the second area contains the testing facilities: the wind tunnels, crash testing facility and technological laboratories.

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A small artificial hill divides the entire area into two parts: the computer laboratories, administrative offices and the cafeteria are in the first area, while the second area contains the testing facilities: the wind tunnels, crash testing facility and technological laboratories.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x31414.16485300,41.12265300Mike1989 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Mike1989. Read more...

]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314166.16824600,-77.55294700nic (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: nic. Read more...
A particle physics lab with a two-mile long accelerator. Operated by Stanford University for the Department of Energy, the lab employs around 1,200 people. The 426-acre installation is on Stanford University property. Now also said to be home of the "first U.S. Web Site."

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By: robsv. Read more...
A gamma radiation simulator at the U.S. Army Research laboratory. This facility was used to simulate the effects of a nuclear detonation. It was decommissioned in 1995.

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By: kjfitz. Read more...
A peak next to the ocean near Ventura that has several aerospace functions. Facilities track and monitor launches of missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Point Mugu, and other sites. Laguna Peak's Naval Satellite Operations Station is part of a network of satellite control facilities, headquartered at Point Mugu, CA, that includes stations at Prospect Harbor, ME; Rosemount, MN; and the Lincoln Laboratory in Massachusetts.

]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-77.20628700,39.09334200WacoKidd110 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: WacoKidd110. Read more...
The EROS Data Center outside of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is a USGS facility dedicated to collection and analysis of satellite and aerial data. It was placed in the center of the continent as a satellite facility that could downlink satellite data from coast to coast of the United States. EROS is also one of the largest data repositories in the country, with disk, tape, and film archives dating to the earliest days of the space program.

]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-70.98088500,42.59893500kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
PNNL, located at Richland, Washington, is one of 10 U.S. Department of Energy national, multiprogram laboratories. Though it has shrunk from earlier times, PNNL is still a major lab, and employs about 3,600 staff members, with an annual budget of more than $200 million. PNNL conducts research in nearly every field of basic science to solve problems in the areas of the environment, energy, health and national security. Currently laboratory staff are engaged in over 1,000 research projects for the DOE, other federal agencies and private clients. Associated with the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, to which it is adjacent, PNNL is operated by Battelle Lab, a nonprofit R&D lab that is involved in numerous government and private R&D projects.

]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x3140.10194800,52.21024600kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
The Space Environment Simulator is a three-story high thermal-vacuum chamber (nicknamed "The SES") located in Building 10 that features a 8.2 meter diameter by 12.2 meter high vacuum chamber capable of simulating temperature and vacuum conditions for virtually any launch or orbital environment condition. Shroud temperatures within the chamber can be controlled to -180 °C to +100 °C.

]]>]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-76.84832500,38.99845000Hinkkanen (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Hinkkanen. Read more...
Diamond Light Source is a new scientific facility currently being built in South Oxfordshire on the Harwell Chilton science campus. This giant machine, called a synchrotron can be described as a series of ‘super microscopes’. It is housed in a futuristic doughnut-shaped building which covers the area of 5 football pitches. Diamond will ultimately host up to 40 cutting edge research stations, supporting the life, physical and environmental sciences.

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By: mlc1us. Read more...
The award winning National Space Centre is the UK's largest attraction dedicated to space.

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By: kjfitz. Read more...
Lincoln Lab is a massive electromagnetic communications R&D center operated by MIT, and located on the edge of Hanscom Air Force Base. It was founded in 1951 to continue research developed by the Rad Lab, the World War Two radar pioneers from MIT, especially to pursue the promising technologies using the new Whirlwind computer (one of the first "supercomputers," also developed by MIT) to process radar data. The lab has since been a leading developer of national missile detection systems (it developed the DEW line system and the SAGE system, precursor to today's C4I). Supported nearly entirely by the military since its inception, Lincoln today is one of the nation's pioneers in satellite communications and laser technologies, and advanced forms of radar, used mostly by the military and intelligence organizations. More than 65 commercial companies and nonprofit labs have been spun off from Lincoln Lab.

]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-90.27096800,38.62877200kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, or often known more simply as Porton Down, is a United Kingdom government facility for military bio-chemical research. The complex is located near Salisbury in Wiltshire, England, and is operated by the Ministry of Defence's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), an Executive Agency of the MOD.

]]>]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-106.46350600,34.96431700charlene (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: charlene. Read more...
Shortwave radio fans are familiar with the time stations WWV and WWVH. This is the home of WWV, which broadcasts the exact time on 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20 MHz, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

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By: kjfitz. Read more...
Founded in 1853 as the first scientific institution in the West, the California Academy of Sciences' mission is to explore and explain the natural world.

With eight scientific research departments, the Academy's natural history collections are utilized by scientists from around the world.

Founded in 1853 to survey and study the vast resources of California and beyond, the California Academy of Sciences is the oldest scientific institution in the West.

The original building sustained significant damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. As plans were being made to to repair the damage and make the buildings seismically stable it became clear that a complete overhaul was the best option. The Academy re-opened on September 27, 2008.

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With eight scientific research departments, the Academy's natural history collections are utilized by scientists from around the world.

Founded in 1853 to survey and study the vast resources of California and beyond, the California Academy of Sciences is the oldest scientific institution in the West.

The original building sustained significant damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. As plans were being made to to repair the damage and make the buildings seismically stable it became clear that a complete overhaul was the best option. The Academy re-opened on September 27, 2008.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-122.46573728,37.77000370kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is a research and development institution for science and technology applied to national security. They are responsible for ensuring that the United State's nuclear weapons remain safe, secure, and reliable. LLNL also applies its expertise to prevent the spread and use of weapons of mass destruction and strengthen homeland security.

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By: kjfitz. Read more...Picture
Bidston Observatory is a recognised weather observation station on Wirral. The observatory was built in 1866 and we are in the enviable position of having an unbroken series of met records dating back to 1867. We even have records from the original Liverpool Observatory built at Waterloo Dock in 1845, hand written in copper plate probably by the original director himself John Hartnup, former secretary of the Royal Astronomical Society.

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Bidston Observatory is a recognised weather observation station on Wirral. The observatory was built in 1866 and we are in the enviable position of having an unbroken series of met records dating back to 1867. We even have records from the original Liverpool Observatory built at Waterloo Dock in 1845, hand written in copper plate probably by the original director himself John Hartnup, former secretary of the Royal Astronomical Society.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-3.07288900,53.40083300kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
First taking to the air in June of 1955, the venerable aircraft began its illustrious, nearly 50-year U.S. Air Force and NASA career as a bomb navigation system test airplane for the Air Force's B-52 fleet. Ironically, the bomb/nav system test bomber spent the bulk of its career dropping flight research vehicles rather than bombs.

In 1959 it became one of two mothership launch aircraft for the X-15 program, which paved the way for America's early manned space flight efforts. Double-0-eight cut its teeth launching the X-15 on 106 of the program's 199 missions.

The B-52B's first and last missions launched hypersonic research vehicles, the first being launch of X-15 No. 1 in 1960. Beginning with the X-15 program, which matured reaction control systems and thermal protection systems for spacecraft, and ending with the X-43A project, NASA 008 served hypersonic research well.

Always reliable, NASA 008's long career ended as historically as it began, launching the last hypersonic X-43A scramjet-powered research vehicle on Nov. 16, 2004, to nearly Mach 10, a record speed for airbreathing aircraft.

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In 1959 it became one of two mothership launch aircraft for the X-15 program, which paved the way for America's early manned space flight efforts. Double-0-eight cut its teeth launching the X-15 on 106 of the program's 199 missions.

The B-52B's first and last missions launched hypersonic research vehicles, the first being launch of X-15 No. 1 in 1960. Beginning with the X-15 program, which matured reaction control systems and thermal protection systems for spacecraft, and ending with the X-43A project, NASA 008 served hypersonic research well.

Always reliable, NASA 008's long career ended as historically as it began, launching the last hypersonic X-43A scramjet-powered research vehicle on Nov. 16, 2004, to nearly Mach 10, a record speed for airbreathing aircraft.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-117.88599400,34.94707400DonMartini (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: DonMartini. Read more...
The Nilometer in Modern Cairo on the southern tip of Rawda (Roda) Island facing al-Fustat to the east is a rather unique historical site often overlooked by visitors to Cairo. It has the properties of being one of the oldest structures in Cairo built after the Arab conquest, as well as having a link to Egypt's pharaonic past. This Nilometers, in Arabic known as a miqyas (Mikyas al-Nil), was used to measure the flood levels of the Nile River and is a heritage of Egypt's distant past, when such structures doted the course of Egypt's grand river. These types of devices continued to be useful up until the modern era when the Nile was tamed by modern dams. During August and September, it was used to regulate the distribution of water as well as to compute the levy of taxes paid as tribute by Egypt to the the Arab Caliph, since the generosity of the Nile was in large part an indication of Egypt's prosperity.

Great Wall Station located at King George Island, west Antarctica, is established in Feb. 1985. The station, named after the world famous Great Wall of China, is the first Chinese Antarctic base with the capability of accommodating 80 summering research personnel and 40 wintering research personnel.

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Great Wall Station located at King George Island, west Antarctica, is established in Feb. 1985. The station, named after the world famous Great Wall of China, is the first Chinese Antarctic base with the capability of accommodating 80 summering research personnel and 40 wintering research personnel.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-58.96248600,-62.21735600kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
The Eden Project is a large-scale environmental complex in the county of Cornwall in England in the United Kingdom. The project is located in a recycled china clay pit, located 1.25 miles (2 km) from the town of St Blazey and 3 miles (5 km) from the larger town of St Austell.

The Eden Project has quickly become one of the most popular visitor attractions in the United Kingdom. The complex includes two sets of giant interconnected transparent domes made of ETFE cushions, each emulating a natural biome, that house plant species from around the world. The first emulates a tropical environment, the other a warm temperate, mediterranean environment.

The project was conceived by Tim Smit and designed by the architect Nicholas Grimshaw and engineering firm Anthony Hunt and Associates, with Davis Langdon carrying out the project management, Sir Robert McAlpine and Alfred McAlpine undertaking the construction and MERO to design and build the domes. The project took 2½ years to construct and opened to the public on 17 March 2001.

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The Eden Project has quickly become one of the most popular visitor attractions in the United Kingdom. The complex includes two sets of giant interconnected transparent domes made of ETFE cushions, each emulating a natural biome, that house plant species from around the world. The first emulates a tropical environment, the other a warm temperate, mediterranean environment.

The project was conceived by Tim Smit and designed by the architect Nicholas Grimshaw and engineering firm Anthony Hunt and Associates, with Davis Langdon carrying out the project management, Sir Robert McAlpine and Alfred McAlpine undertaking the construction and MERO to design and build the domes. The project took 2½ years to construct and opened to the public on 17 March 2001.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-4.74412000,50.36199900robsv (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: robsv. Read more...
One of the more remote technical areas at Los Alamos National Laboratory, TA-33 is the home to the now-decommissioned High-Pressure Tritium Laboratory.

]]>]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-106.25650400,35.78346800romulusnr (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: romulusnr. Read more...
Among the earliest large synchrotrons, the Bevatron at LBNL operated from 1954 to 1993.

The Rock Creek Nature Center was first developed as a pilot project in the 1950s in the Peirce/Klingle Mansion. For many years, the mansion had served as a personal residence for a succession of tenants. Due to lack of maintenance, the building had become somewhat run-down, and the National Park Service decided to rehabilitate it for public use rather than return it to a private residence. The concept of a nature center was new to the park, so the Peirce/Klingle mansion's nature center served as a sort of experiment to give the park the experience needed to decide what to include in a permanent nature center.

The new, permanent Nature Center was opened on June 4, 1960. Meant to appeal primarily to young people, the Center's dedication ceremony was conducted entirely by children.

Today, the Rock Creek Nature Center is the major information center and focal point for activities related to the park's natural and cultural history. Exhibits tell about the park's wildlife and forest, and a library, open to all, has many books on natural history. A Discovery Room will encourage hands-on activities. An observation beehive is located on the back wall of the exhibit room. Visitors can watch the bees at work in the hive, visible through glass panes. The hive is connected to the outdoors by a plastic tube.

Located with the Rock Creek Nature Center, the planetarium serves as an astronomy laboratory, allowing visitors to study the sky under ideal conditions. The only planetarium in the national park system, it is meant to stimulate and foster an interest in the sky and stars. Although it is not the purpose of the planetarium's programs to present a great wealth of astronomical information, certain fundamental concepts are woven into the fabric of each program, concepts which are basic to a proper understanding of the sky.

With a dome-shaped ceiling designed to reflect light, the planetarium can duplicate the motion of the stars and planets as they might be observed from any point on Earth using a Spitz planetarium projector. The majority of Rock Creek's planetarium programs show the night sky as it appears in the Washington, D.C. area for the specific date and time of the program. The projector can also be accelerated to allow visitors to witness phenomena which take months, years, or even centuries to occur. Programs are usually 45-60 minutes in length.

]]>www.nps.gov:

The Rock Creek Nature Center was first developed as a pilot project in the 1950s in the Peirce/Klingle Mansion. For many years, the mansion had served as a personal residence for a succession of tenants. Due to lack of maintenance, the building had become somewhat run-down, and the National Park Service decided to rehabilitate it for public use rather than return it to a private residence. The concept of a nature center was new to the park, so the Peirce/Klingle mansion's nature center served as a sort of experiment to give the park the experience needed to decide what to include in a permanent nature center.

The new, permanent Nature Center was opened on June 4, 1960. Meant to appeal primarily to young people, the Center's dedication ceremony was conducted entirely by children.

Today, the Rock Creek Nature Center is the major information center and focal point for activities related to the park's natural and cultural history. Exhibits tell about the park's wildlife and forest, and a library, open to all, has many books on natural history. A Discovery Room will encourage hands-on activities. An observation beehive is located on the back wall of the exhibit room. Visitors can watch the bees at work in the hive, visible through glass panes. The hive is connected to the outdoors by a plastic tube.

Located with the Rock Creek Nature Center, the planetarium serves as an astronomy laboratory, allowing visitors to study the sky under ideal conditions. The only planetarium in the national park system, it is meant to stimulate and foster an interest in the sky and stars. Although it is not the purpose of the planetarium's programs to present a great wealth of astronomical information, certain fundamental concepts are woven into the fabric of each program, concepts which are basic to a proper understanding of the sky.

With a dome-shaped ceiling designed to reflect light, the planetarium can duplicate the motion of the stars and planets as they might be observed from any point on Earth using a Spitz planetarium projector. The majority of Rock Creek's planetarium programs show the night sky as it appears in the Washington, D.C. area for the specific date and time of the program. The projector can also be accelerated to allow visitors to witness phenomena which take months, years, or even centuries to occur. Programs are usually 45-60 minutes in length.]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-77.05166900,38.95996500kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
The Point Mugu telemetry system uses four GKR-11 and two GKR-13 antennas for primary operational support. The GKR-11 antennas are located near the Telemetry Collection Facility. The GKR-13 antennas are located on Laguna Peak and remote-controlled from the TCF at Point Mugu. The antennas operate in multiple modes, and a computer bus system, (Sensor Positioning and Readback System (SPARS)), generates look angles for automatic acquisition and re-acquisition using sensor inputs from other telemetry and radar systems.

]]>1root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314-83.01510900,42.33747600kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz. Read more...
Millstone Hill became an important site in the development of electromagnetic communication in 1957, when a just completed dish built on the site became the first American antenna to track the world's first satellite - the short-lived Soviet Sputnik 1. Antennas at Millstone have been instrumental in developing aircraft early warning and ballistic missile defense systems such as SAGE and the DEW line. The larger of two upper atmosphere research antennas is a 220 foot fixed antenna which was used by the military to develop long range communication for submarines and remote radar sites by bouncing waves through the ionosphere. Several other unusual antennas have been built at the site by the Air Force, Lincoln Lab, and the National Science Foundation, including infrared and laser instruments for long-range probing, at Lincoln Labs Firepond facility.

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By: bonjbrown. Read more...
University of Texas M D Anderson Research center between Bastrop and Buescher State Parks.

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By: mlc1us. Read more...
The Makrolab was sited atop UCSB’s Campus Point overlooking the ocean from mid-May till the end of the month.